The National Council of State has endorsed the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) from Kogi State as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan’s name to the council on Thursday, following the completion of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s tenure, which lasted from 2015 to October 2025.
In a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu described Amupitan as the first nominee from the North-Central region to be considered for the position and commended his non-partisan reputation.
Council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo praising Amupitan as “a man of integrity and sound judgment.”
In line with constitutional requirements, the President will now forward the nomination to the Senate for confirmation.
Born on April 25, 1967, Professor Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. He currently serves as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) and also holds the position of Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council at Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
A distinguished legal scholar, Amupitan specialises in Company Law, Corporate Governance, Law of Evidence, and Privatisation Law. He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014 and has spent over three decades shaping legal education and corporate governance in Nigeria.
He earned his LLB and LLM degrees from the University of Jos, where he later completed a PhD in Law in 2007. His career began in 1989, shortly after completing his National Youth Service with the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation.
Throughout his academic journey, he has served as Dean of the Faculty of Law, Head of Public Law, and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors at UNIJOS.
Outside academia, Amupitan has served on various corporate and legal boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited (Vom), the Council of Legal Education, and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council.
An accomplished author, he has written several influential legal texts, including Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), and Principles of Company Law (2013).
Professor Amupitan is married and blessed with four children.
